A visually dynamic textile

The Bauer Print Collection, by German designer Wolf Bauer for Knoll Textiles International, was part of a new push for prints under the guidance of Barbara Rodes, the head of textiles in Europe and later head of textiles for all of Knoll, after Florence Knoll retired in 1965.

Several of the Bauer designs, including Collage, were silkscreened on cotton velvet by Pausa AG in Germany, a company known for skillful printing. This is one of at least five colorways produced and it is, arguably, the most visually dynamic and evocative of its period—electric orange, yellow, fuschia, pink, and lime green seem to vibrate against the plush white velveteen ground. Bauer created a collage effect by giving the shapes irregular edges and maintaining a sense of translucency in overlapping inks, so that the design appears to be made from torn bits of tissue paper.